Pressure drilling head



June E E, 3946.

PRESSURE DRILLING HEAD Filed May 15, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. B ALBA-R7 PRAA/am A. PRANGER 2,401,960-

June 11,1946. A PRANGER zwmw PRESSURE DRILLING HEAD Filed May 15, 1942 2 SheetsSheet 2 INVENTOR.

A1 5m?" PAM/6am Patented June 11, 1946 PRESSURE DRILLING HEAD Albert Pranger, Dallas, Tex, assignor to The Guiberson Corporation, Dallas, Ten, a corporation of Delaware Application May 15, 1942, Serial No. 443,087

(crass-19) 3 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in pressure drilling heads. More specifically it consists of an improvement over that type of drilling head shown in the patent granted to Albert 'Pranger and Samuel Allen Guiberson 111,

2,243,439, issued May 27, 1941. In the said patent the lower end. of the corrugated packer was subjected to well pressures. the packer could be pushed downwardly so as to compress the packer by rotating'the nuts on the bolts I9. In the structure shown in the said patent the gland 9 operated in opposition to the pressures in the well, and it was therefore frequently diflicult to operate the said bolts so as to move the gland downwardly. In my improved construction I provide a drawing means which may be manually operated but which exerts a force on the lower end of the packer to compress the same. In my improved construction, shown by way of illustration in the attached drawings, -1 have therefore provided: a drawing means which acts in conjunction with the wel pressures to compress the packer. v I

Another object of the invention is to provide a packing mechanism-rotatable with the kelly in a fixed housing, which packing means may be disengaged from the fixed housing-so that the drill bit may be removed from the well without remov- The upper end of ings in which I have shown by way of illustration one preferred embodiment of the invention and in which,

Figure 1 is'a vertical, cross-sectional view of my improved pressure drilling head, a square kelly being shown in conjunction therewith, and Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1,' but showing the removable packing mechanism lifted above the parts which are not to be removed, a

round drill pipe being shown in conjunction therewith. g In the drawings a fixed housing I is attached to the well head by bolts 2. Secured to the top of the fixed housing I is a flange 3 which is secured thereto by bolts 4. The bolts 4 are screwed in the upper 'end of the fixed housing I and nuts 5 overlie the flange 3. The flange 3 is provided with upwardly extending circular rims 6 and I.

A rotatable housing 8 is mounted within the fixed housing I. It is provided with a shoulder 9. Antifriction roller bearings I0 are interposed between a hearing plate II, which underlies the flange 3, and a bearing plate I2, which overlies the shoulder 9. Obviously, this roller bearing would prevent an upward vertical thrust of the ing the fixed housing and without the necessity would be very'difiicult to reinsert the packer while on the kelly or drill pipe within the rotatable housing I3. In my preferred construction I provide a sleeve which serves as a confining means for the packer and which sleeve and packer may be removed from the rotatable housing without disturbing the rotatable housing and the various sealingmeans, antifriction bearings and oil reservoirs between rotatable housing and the fixed housing. When thus removed the confining sleeve holds the packer against lateral displacement. The said sleeve can then readily be reinserted in the rotatable housing without disturbing the packing arrangement.

Other objects and advantages or the invention fixed and the rotatable housings.

will appear in the detailed specification and claims which follow. The invention may-be better understood by referring to the attached drawrotatable housing 8. The rotatable housing 8 is also provided wtih a shoulder I3, which overlies a bearing plate I4. The fixed housing I is provided with a bearing plate I5. Interposed .between the bearing plates I4 and I5 are antifriction rollers I6. These rollers have an axis which extends at an angle to the vertical, as well as the horizontal, directions so as to take athrust in both directions. There is, therefore, provided a means to prevent the rotatable housing 8 from moving upwardly or downwardly as well as laterally of the fixed housing I. An oil chamber I'I lies between the fixed housing and the rotatable housing, and a seal ring I8 is interposed be tween the lower skirt I8, forming a part of the rotatable housing, and a flange 20 forming a part of the fixed housing. Packing 2i isalso provided between the fixed and the rotatable housings,

below the flange 20, and a rotatable gland 22 is screw threaded to the fixed housing- I and serves as a means to compress the packing 2!. The packing 2i serves as a means to prevent the well fluids from passing upwardly between the A bearin ring 23 is interposed between the rim 6 and rotatable housing, which bearing ring is preferably made of antifriction metal.

Secured to the upper end of the rotatable housing 8 is a ring 24 having depending flanges 25 and 2!, the depending flange 2i resting between I kelly 3i.

3 the rims 8 and 1, and the flange 26 lying outside of the rim 1. The purpose of these flanges 28 and 28 and rims 8 and 1 is to tend to prevent dirt and other-foreign matter from reaching the bearing ring 23.

A sleeve 21 fits within the rotatable housing 8 and rotates therewith, but is vertically removable therefrom. The sleeve-21 is provided with an inwardly extending flange 28 which underlies and supports a ring 29 on which is seated the lower end of a packer 30. The packer 33 is shown as corrugated, and as fully explained in the said Patent 2,243,439, such a packer is suitable tofpack ofl around a square kelly 3! shown in Figure l, or a round kelly or drill pipe 32, as shown in Figure 2. v

The lower end of the flange 28 lies slightly above a shoulder 33 of the rotatable housing 8, and a sealing ring 34 is interposed within the circular channel of the sleeve 21. It will be noted from inspecting Figure 1 that this sealing ring will be expanded by well pressures so as to make an-efi'ective seal between the sleeve 21 and the rotatable housing 8.

The upper end of the sleeve 21 is provided with a flange 35 which overlies the upperend of the drawing means acted in opposition to the well pressures. v

In the drilling of oil wells, it is necessary to re,- move the bit from time to time. This necessitates the pulling from the well of the kelly and the drill pipe. In the structure shown in the said Patent 2,243,439 this could be done, and after the conventional gate valve had been closed. after the drill had passed above it, the entire be lowered so that the sleeve 21 moves-downwardly in the rotatable housing 8.

I realize that many changes may be made in the specific form of the invention shown by way of illustration herein,-and I therefore desire to claim the same broadly, except as I may limit rotatable housing 8. One or more-keys 4| pass through holes or slots in the ring 24 and into slots of the gland 38. It is, therefore, obvious that the gland 38, ring 24, rotatable housing 8, sleeve 21 and packer 30 all rotate as a unit with the If desired, however, the gland 38 may be provided with a vertically extending keyway '42, and a key 43 may extend into this keyway and be secured to the upper end of the sleeve 21 by means of a bolt 44. Ordinarily it is not necessary to interpose any member, such as a kelly clamp 2 and 3 of the said- Patent 2,243,439, between the kelly and the gland 38,,for the packer 38 serves as a means to transmit the rotation from the kelly 3| to the parts which rotate therewith. It is furthermore obvious that before the packer is subjected to well pressures, when for instance it is in the position shown in Figure 2, the nuts 39 can be tightened on the bolts 36 to compress the packer by pushing downwardly on the gland 38 and pulling upwardly on the sleeve 21 which carries its flange 28, so that the'upper end of the packer would be pushed downwardly and the lower end-of the packer would be moved upwardly. When, however, the packer is subjected to well pressures, these well pressures.

would be exerted against the lower end of the packer which would tend to move the lower end of the packer upwardly, while the retaining ring 40 prevents any movement of the gland 38f Ii now the nuts 39 were rotated so as to move the sleeve 21 upwardly, it would further compress the packer so that the drawing means acts inconmyself in the appendedclaims.

Having now described my invention, '1 claim: 1. A pressure drillinghead of the type adapted to receive a rotary kelly and inclu'dinga packer, a

sleeve surrounding the outside of said packer and underlying a portion thereof, a gland acting as a,

stop for the upper end of the packer-and drawing means to move the sleeve upwardly toward said gland to compress the packer into tight sealing engagement with the kelly, a rotatable'housing in which said sleeve is vertically movable,

said kelly serving as a means to rotate thepacker, the sleeve and the rotatable housing, said packer, sleeve, gland and drawing means constitutinga removable assembly as a unit, and means to lock or unlock said removable assembly to said rotatable housing.

2. A pressure drilling head'of the type adapted to receive a rotary kelly and including a packer, a sleeve surrounding the outside of said packer, and underlying a portion thereof, a gland acting as a stop for the upper end of the packer and drawing means to move the sleeve upwardly toward said gland to compress the packer, a rotatable housing in which said sleeve is vertically movable, said kelly serving asa means to rotate the packer, sleeve and rotatable housing, a fixedhousing in which said rotatable housing rotates,

constituting a removableassembly as a unit, and means to lock or unlock said removable assembly to said rotatable housing.

3. A ressure drilling head of the type adapted to receive a rotary kelly and including a fixed housing, a rotatable housing rotatable in the fixed housing, a vertically movable sleeve within the rotatable housing, a packer within the said sleeve, said' kelly serving as a means to rotate the packer, sleeve and rotatable housing,

means to compress the packer by the upward' movement of the sleeve, means to secure the sleeve in the rotatable housing, said sleeve and packer being removable as a unit from the rotatable housing when the securing means is released.

ALBERT mimosa. 

